Most eyelash curler shape the eyelashes by manually pressing the eyelashes between two pinching elements, mostly arched to conform with the shape of the eyelids. U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,715 proposed the incorporation of a heating element into the pinching elements to hasten the curling process as well as result into a longer lasting curl. This invention can adopt all the features of the eyelash curler invented by the same inventor and disclosed in the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/885,426 filed Jul. 7, 2004. As in the cited application, the device can have different heating systems, one controlling the temperature by an “on” and “off” switch while the other heating system maintains the temperature when the desired temperature is reached. This application can also include the pigmented silicone piece and the light emitting diode (LED) of the said cited patent application and can also incorporate a mechanism wherein the red and green LED rapidly turn “on” and “off” repeatedly when the power source is low such as when the charge on the battery is low. The claimed device herein can also adopt the converter and the heating element comprising a conducting coil or wire inserted in a conducting tube as disclosed.
A major difference of the heated eyelash curler herein is the use of the cap covering the device as the switch to turn the power “on” or “off” instead of manually turning the switch. This is done through a switch knob that can be made to traverse a knob rail incorporated on the cap. This mechanism can be adopted to any eyelash curler other than the one cited herein. The power is turned “off” when the cap covers the curling head before use and the power is turned “on” when the cap exposes the curling head ready for the operation and is turned “off” again when the cap covers the curling head again after usage. The cap adopting this special feature and function is referred herein as the cover switch.
It is an object of this invention to provide a cover that can be used to turn the power “on” or “off” instead of manually reaching for the switch.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a heated eyelash curler having a cap or cover switch that has the safety feature of immediately protecting a person from burns by turning the power “off” as soon as the cap covers the heated section of the eyelash curler.
It is also another object of this invention to show how a switch knob can be used in conjunction with a knob rail to turn the heat “on” when the eyelash curler's curling head is exposed and turn the heat “off” when the curling head is covered.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a mechanism for turning the power “off” and “on” of any eyelash curler having a heating section that can be covered by a cap.
It is also a further object of this invention to show how a cover switch of this invention can be adopted to the heated eyelash curler disclosed in the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/885,426 filed Jul. 7, 2004 which discloses a curling head having a heating element surrounded by a shield to prevent skin burns, an indicator that directly touches the surface of the heating element for more accurate indication of the temperature on the curling head in addition to the LED indicators that are voltage driven, and a converter for achieving the desired curling temperature at a faster rate.